BENGALURU: Amid chaos and confusion, an estimated 30,000 people travelled to their home towns on Sunday, in about 951 Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. The challenge before the state health department now is to ensure that all of them are screened and home quarantined. Those who are symptomatic will be tested further. The state government has appointed nodal officers in all districts to ensure that screening is done as soon as they reach their destinations. It is the responsibility of the deputy commissioners to maintain health records and personal details.

Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare, Pankaj Kumar Pandey told TNIE, “We have instructed all DCs to ensure home quarantine for the next 15 days for all asymptomatic people. All those who travelled — migrants, labourers, students, techies —have to be screened.”

Teams of officers are working to ensure that everyone is screened. A similar process will be followed for inter-state travellers, intra-state travellers and also those coming from abroad. Asymptomatic travellers will be stamped and home quarantined, along with geo-fencing.

For instance, in Hubballi-Dharwad, 624 migrants returned from Bengaluru and other parts of the state till May 4. Their hands were stamped and they were home quarantined. “Mobile numbers of all 624 persons has been attached to the geofencing system of Covid-19 control rooms in Hubballi and Dharwad. If these people try to step out of their houses, the staff is alerted,” an officer said.

Shivamogga DC K B Sivakumar told TNIE that till Sunday night, 26 buses had ferried a total of 835 migrant workers to the district. However, sources said many managed to enter Bengaluru and other cities using private vehicles and the state government hasn’t screened these people, or even have a record on how many have travelled in this manner. (With inputs from Arpitha in Shivamogga and Arunkumar Huralimath in Hubballi-Dharwad)